The Delicate Shade Of Golden Light
by Sara Drake
Summary: Kara is day, Lena is night. Yet Kara's image still burns within Lena's mind, and she aches for the sun to set its gaze upon her. [Kara, Lena][Supercorp]
1. Chapter 1

Lena wrapped her fingers tightly around her balcony's railing. The sun had begun its descent below the horizon, and streams of red and gold deepened into a violet haze across a dimming sky. Isolated and alone on the top floor of L-Corp, the silence reverberated and the colors seemed blinding.

The sky began its transition into evening, and tiny flickers began to blink into existence. It was like a lightning storm, exhilarating and beautiful. Her brother had been so fascinated with the stars, and every night pointed out the constellations to her. Her favorite was Andromeda. Maybe it was the chains wrapped around the princess' outstretched hands as her parents prepared to sacrifice her to Cetus.

Every night, they would lay on the grass gazing up into the deep void of space. They'd tell tales and make up stories about life on other planets. He believed something existed out in the stars. They'd compare it to Star Wars, enthralled with the idea of a 'force' and alien civilizations. He would call her Leia and she would call him her own Luke Skywalker. So many dreams, so much hope, so much excitement….

In the end, he became Darth Vader.

Even as a kid, he had been obsessed with the force...

It was only natural that the obsession turned toward Superman.

Still, she missed the boy he was, his lopsided smiles and that glint to his eyes. But he had withdrawn and taken the stars with him and became a ghost from another life.

But maybe, if she called the sun, it would see her. After all, the sun is still a star….

And the sun—it never judged.

She leaned forward slightly over the edge, tilting her head to the sky. National City spread below, numerous skyscrapers and buildings looming all around her. Luminous and brilliant as the coming twilight signaled the arrival of dusk.

Lena saw the silhouette first, an outline of red and blue streaming past her balcony. When she squinted, she could make out the crimson cape billowing behind Supergirl—the same color as her crest. The crest that another man shared; the one that had etched itself into Lena's nightmares—that and her brother's feral eyes.

She sighed as the sky grew heavier, melting into the night. Heavy like the weight that pressed into her chest ever since her brother's descent into madness and her mother's incarceration.

Since her brother's downfall, her vision had dulled to grays—as if the world lost its color. Like a black and white movie from her mother's time, grayscale and less vibrant. She had stood with her chin held high, and defiance burning her chest. At least, that was what the media saw.

Her mother should have been proud. She had been the perfect Luthor. Even if she had testified against her brother.

And then her mother was arrested and the grays ceased to exist.

The days and nights had blurred, and unless she peered out a window, she couldn't tell one from the other. She was lost as if aboard a rudderless ship, drifting along an endless sea. A sea of lost time and memories-it waited to drown her in its murky depths. And maybe she'd let it. Maybe she'd walk along the edge a little while longer, her eyes squeezed shut.

She exhaled through tight lips and glanced at the article that had laid on her desk but was now held with a slight tremor in her grip. If the headline had vocal abilities, it would be a blowhorn, deafening in its sheer volume. The words were bold and without mercy.

 _Lena Luthor. An ungrateful orphan, or a brilliant mastermind?_

Why had she brought the damned thing outside?

No matter how far she distanced herself from her last name, something always dragged her back. No one truly saw her. They saw a Luthor. She carried the weight of her family's crimes on her shoulders. Maybe she deserved it. She had not been enough to break her brother's insanity. And now, her mother walked down that same path.

Oh, she had tried to make them see reason. She had tried so hard, but in the end, it had not been enough.

She had never been enough.

And, the press painted her in a negative light.

Her fingers trembled, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. What had she expected? That the public would praise her for hindering her mother's plan? Lena had stopped xenocide, but her deeds went unnoticed.

Unbidden, a dry chuckle escaped her lips.

She would always be under scrutiny.

And no one really believed in her—they waited with baited breath for her to fall. She clenched her jaw against the empty ache in her chest. Besides her brother, no one had ever believed in her. They saw only what they wanted to see. Something sinister and vile.

Everyone, except one lone reporter: Kara.

Kara believed in her. Kara cared.

And, she needed Kara.

She wondered if Kara was working on an article, forced to work late because Snapper gave a new assignment and demanded a miracle. Lena disliked him. She disliked the way he constantly criticized her friend. That man couldn't spot talent if he walked over it.

A sudden yearning squeezed her heart. The cold muscle strained and constricted. And the ice that had protected her for so long thawed. She began to feel. Maybe Superman had shoved his fortress of solitude against the space between her ribs and pierced it with the fire from his eyes.

Would he draw joy from her suffering?

Her throat choked and she couldn't swallow. It was too much. She craved the cerulean blue eyes that shone with a fierce blaze. Like her sun. Another sun. And Kara did not know she yearned for her. Kara did not know... because she was just another illusion. Another mirage, tempting but always too far away. Just like the stars and the sun.

Because no matter how many times Lena screamed for Kara, she remained unreachable. Elusive. Kara would never notice her.

Lena blinked.

She was a Luthor and this pathetic need strangled her.

This infatuation will destroy everything.

Suddenly, Lena's chest felt tighter, her breath shot out of her. She gulped for air, but oxygen eluded her. The agony overwhelmed her. It wasn't physical pain, but the way her lungs begged for air and her pulse raced, it could be. She shuddered as each pulse sent adrenaline through her veins.

Her entire being radiated with the need to find Kara, to be with Kara. It was overpowering.

The need was intense and sweltering. She longed to touch Kara even the flames consumed her. She longed for that scent of lilac and strawberry that lingered long after Kara left the room, that scent charged with so much light.

And the darkness…It sought to devour her, to immerse her in grief thick like oil. It tightened around her neck like a noose. Yet, Kara had been able to cut through the cords with ease.

It was torture-this desire. It scared her. But, she wanted the dream. She wanted to wake up beside Kara each morning, the sun casting a golden glow around her hair. Her fingers tingled at the thought of running through each strand.

But, Lena was a Luthor. Who could ever love her?

Cold laughter rang from deep inside her mind. Her mother's laughter.

 _No one._

Lena gasped and that noose tightened...that imaginary noose, squeezing her chest until the life left her. It squeezed. It squeezed and squeezed, and a deep ache snapped through her.

Pinching her eyes shut, she welcomed the hidden calm beneath her lids. And then she opened them to the sky with a blur of red and blue.

 _Kara…_

 _Kara…_

 _Kara, why can't you love me?_

Lena did not know when her thoughts became words, but her own voice startled her. The whisper tasted bitter on her lips. She had choked the words out and infused it with need. Longing. Everything she ever felt laced within the utterance of each word.

Supergirl froze in the air. Still as a statue, hovering above Catco. Lena sighed. Did the world cast a weight on Supergirl's shoulders as well? Was she also smothered by her own thoughts?

Supergirl spun, facing her as if she read her mind, and Lena's eyes widened.

 _No. Mind reading wasn't a super power._

Seconds passed. And then another moment passed while Supergirl hung in the air as if she were a fixture in an elaborate portrait.

Lena squinted her eyes but was unable to make out more than a blurred image. What caused the girl of steel to pause mid-flight? Had she forgotten something, something so urgent that she'd have to turn back? What could cast a ripple to her single-minded purposefulness?

Still, whatever reason Supergirl had to turn back vanished. She spun, and flew away, fading from sight.

Lena swallowed, not understanding why her bottom lip trembled. Nightfall would come soon, and then Lena would sleep alone, wishing to be wrapped in Kara's arms.

But, Lena was a Luthor, and a Luthor was not weak. A Luthor did not need love. Yet, Kara's image still burned into her mind, and Lena ached.

God, how she ached.

Lena longed for the sun to set its eyes upon her.


	2. Chapter 2

Kara loved the sky. She loved the brisk wind that tousled her hair, and the vivid hues of violet and blue when the day and night almost met. She beamed. Day meeting night like the movie Ladyhawke. She nodded to herself. That movie would definitely be the focus of the next sisters' night.

She took a deep breath and raised her face to soak up the last rays of the sun. Soon, that light would fade into the encroaching night. With the wind howling in her ears, warmth cascaded over her. She felt free, blanketed within the sky and below the stars.

The stars that knew her.

Ever since she landed on earth, the stars had always called to her. At first, they were a harsh reminder of all she had lost. She had cursed them and avoided them. But, that was difficult to do when they remained a permanent fixture in the sky.

As she grew older, she found herself reaching out, seeking the connection that linked her with her old life. Another Kara surrounded by family and friends that had never been left behind.

Another life where her planet's destruction was not stitched beneath her eyes.

Alex's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Supergirl, Winn found something."

"He did?" Kara's voice rose in excitement. She might have bounced a little mid-air. "What did he find?"

"A breakthrough."

Relief ebbed the tension in her shoulders. A breakthrough! She had meant it when she said she'd investigate Izzy William's disappearance, even if Snapper thought it a waste of time. Of course, he had rolled his eyes at her when she had said as much. Sometimes she wanted to reach out, grab that man by the neck and shake some sense into him. But, that would kill the man and would not make him any easier to work with.

Why did he have to be so…so…mean?

Snapper might have called the story worthless, that Izzy was just another runaway. But Kara's gut instinct screamed something was wrong. Her time as a reporter taught her to follow her hunches. So, Snapper can just—well he can just shut up!

Even now, thinking about Izzy caused a slight shudder to run through her body the way thunder foreshadowed a storm. Not, that she was afraid of storms—she got over that when she was younger. Maybe she jumped a few times, but who wouldn't. Thunder could get loud and—

"Supergirl?"

Kara started. "Rao! I'll…I'll be there in…in a jiffy."

"No one says 'jiffy' anymore," Winn said in the background, and Kara could imagine his furrowed eyebrows.

"What's a jiffy?" She narrowed her eyes. Wasn't Mon-El supposed to be bartending? Then again, she did say she would train him so perhaps they called him in.

"Supergirl, Mon-El will meet you at the coordinates and fill you in."

Kara couldn't help the big grin that lifted the corners of her lips. Mon-El understood her. He understood what it was like to lose everything and still climb from the ashes. He had come so far—given so much of himself to become a hero. He wanted to help people. And, she had to admit, it was so nice not to feel so alone.

"I—"

" _Kara, why can't you love me._ "

The soft voice shattered her reveries like glass; she froze, unable to move, hovering above Catco.

Those words sunk in her skin and then spread through her veins like quicksilver. That voice…Lena's voice. Kara would have recognized it anywhere. Each inflection rose like a melody, wrapped around such yearning that not even the sun could tame.

 _Kara, why can't you love me?_

In an endless loop, those six words rang in her ears. The absolute longing, the resignation and each choked whisper accentuated by Lena's tears tightened around her chest until she gasped from the pressure. Every cell in her being resonated with one need.

She had to find Lena.

She spun, eyes squinting below, seeking to find the source of that voice. She leaned to the right, peering down towards the swarms of people carrying on with their daily activities, and then searched for that one heartbeat that had long since been placed into memory.

 _Thump. Thump._

Kara's head snapped towards L-Corp, focused on Lena's pulse.

 _Thump. Thump._

She zeroed in on the heartbeat, her head tilting upwards, and followed the length of the building.

Lena Luthor stood on her balcony, gazing up at the sky. For a split second, their eyes met. Kara hung suspended in the air, entranced by the bright emerald green eyes that shone with unshed tears.

And still, Kara could not look away. Staring at Lena's features was like staring into flames. Exciting yet an edge of danger lurked beneath the surface. Raven haired with a pale complexion and eyes that burned with her mood.

Kara swallowed at the vulnerability in Lena's expression and started to drift closer to her.

"Supergirl." Alex's voice interrupted her daze.

"Ah…" Kara's forehead wrinkled, and she bit her lip. "I—"

"Supergirl? Are you ready for the coordinates? According to Maggie, there have been more disappearances."

Duty. A few Kryptonian curses broke from her lips. Clenching her jaw, Kara blurted, "Of course there have been."

"What was that?"

Kara had already turned her attention back to Lena, her best friend.

Lena's long fingers clenched into fists. Anguish stamped her face. She stared up at the sky for another moment, then her spine snapped tight and her gaze found Kara's once again.

Lena seemed so anguished. So lost. Kara opened her lips in a wordless scream. Need. Want. Duty. In the end, it was always duty. With a sigh, she dropped her head in her hands and squeezed her eyes shut, but Lena's words remained latched into her.

 _Kara, why can't you love me._

Kara's wavered. She couldn't leave like this…although she had no idea what _this_ was. All she knew was that she'd do anything to soothe the severe lines on Lena's face.

"Supergirl?" Alex asked, an unwanted anchor to the present.

Kara shook her head and bit her lip hard.

"Did you get that? Maggie found that there were more disappearances..."

Kara turned, ignoring the painful pull from her chest, the tether that yanked her towards the balcony and the woman who stood defeated upon it. She ignored that tear in her heart that swelled with emptiness.

 _Kara_...

 _Why can't you love me?_

And then it really hit her as if someone had poured a vat of ice water over her.

 _No_. She wouldn't think about it. She couldn't think about it.

Taking once last glance, Kara swallowed and then flew the other direction…away from Lena.

 _Kara, why can't you love me._

Kara swallowed, wishing for an eclipse that never came. That moment in time where the light of the sun met the darkness of night.


	3. Chapter 3

Lena should have realized it that morning, when the clouds spread across the sky in a lackluster gray, making the city overcast and gloomy. She should have realized she would never find relief from the disappointment that had shadowed her all her life.

She was finalizing the last few details for a conference she would attend later that afternoon when she glanced at the digital clock on her laptop. Her heart stopped. She was going to be late!

She shot out of her office and then took the elevator to the bottom floor. She felt as if it stopped at every floor and the seconds ticked by. She let a breath of relief when she finally reached the lobby.

The weather had been calm when she left her office. Calm but overcast, a gloomy haze as it had been the day before. Halfway towards Noonan's, the sky lit up with white light followed by a loud rumble of thunder. Suddenly, it was as if a monsoon had erupted above her, and rain pelting the street. She realized belatedly, she had left her umbrella on the rack next to her couch.

 _Stupid_.

So, here she was, soaked and shivering waiting for her friend.

As usual, Noonan's was packed with people. Some seemed familiar; they were the loyal diners that frequented the restaurant during the lunch hour. Others were the odd faces that Lena knew would become recognizable after a few weeks. Everyone seemed to love Noonan's.

Especially Kara…

Who had not yet arrived.

Thirty minutes passed, and still, the seat across from her was empty.

Kara had stood her up.

No text. No call.

She knew what being stood up looked like, but she couldn't help glancing at her phone every five minutes. Her heart clenched. Her chest tightened. And it felt like rejection.

 _Stupid_. What was there to reject? Something might have come up. Kara wouldn't just vanish on her.

She had disappeared once before without calling or texting, but It had turned out there was a death in the family. Lena could understand the grief associated with losing someone. Of course, she would have been the last thing on Kara's mind.

Knowing there was a good reason—Kara had been in Midvale—-had not stopped the ache. Lena had needed her friend—needed the sun Kara radiated to chase away the despair of sending her mother to prison.

Lena had sent her mother to prison and Kara had left her alone an entire week.

Her drink fell to the ground, cold liquid forming a puddle near her feet.

The room fell silent and she became painfully aware of the glances concentrated in her direction…aware of the way her name seemed to be whispered through the room. No one was even trying to be discreet about it. Every set of eyes was a cut to her already broken heart.

And against all rationale, her heart was broken. _Pathetic_. Kara wasn't anything to her, just a friend. It was all they would ever be. There was probably an explanation, something happening last minute. Maybe, Kara had no way to call.

A pang struck her heart at the thought of her friend losing someone close.

People were still staring and Lena bristled. She arched an eyebrow at one person and they turned away.

She sighed. She would never escape the spotlight. But, she schooled her expression, determined to appear unfazed by the scrutiny.

She took a sip of her tomato herbal soup—it had grown lukewarm.

Lena ate alone.

##

Lena attempted to call Kara, but it went to voicemail.

Kara still had not texted. She had not called.

The sun shone through the massive window in the back of her office, breaking through the clouds. Maybe the day would get better?

##

The day did not get better.

Lena ground her teeth and glanced around the board room. She had enough. Her gaze fixed on the members wearing their tailored Oxford suits. Her shoulders stiffened and she wanted to burn away the arrogant tilt to their lips and the condescension in their eyes.

She abhorred these conferences. The small, ornate clock hanging on the wall seemed to have frozen at 5:30 p.m. It felt as if she had already spent several tortuous hours in the room, smothered by a throng of male chauvinists. Well, maybe smothered was not the right word, but her body reacted to her claustrophobia.

She felt walled in. Caged in.

Clenching her jaw, every muscle in her body felt taut. She hated how she was trapped in another useless meeting where she was forced to entertain the same arguments. She hated that her brother was mad and rotting in prison. She hated that the mantle of leadership was thrust on her shoulders when all she had wanted was to drown herself in her research projects. She hated the latest damned voice mail her mother's lawyers had left on her phone. And she hated the uncomfortable chair that pressed into her back.

She wanted to be anywhere but the meeting. Anywhere but listening to the constant droning of John Jenkins and Darrel Evans and their failure at the art of persuasion. She almost wished her brother would send another assassin to take her miserable life. Or worse…she'd rather be trapped in a hole with her mother. That would be sheer hell.

Evans continued his lecture about why the alien detection device should be offered to the military instead of being scrapped altogether. Lena had wanted to discontinue the project. Some members of the board had not agreed with her decision.

She turned towards the device, and her stomach churned at the L-Corp logo brand etched on the side. She knew if the product was released, it would be the gasoline to an already raging fire.

She had been so close to releasing it. So close to being just like her brother. Maybe the constant anti-alien speeches had sunk its claws into her. She hadn't thought of the ethical dilemma, the fact that such a device would have added to the violence and suffering for everyone. She shuddered at the thought of how a rise in hate crimes would have been attributed to her and her device.

She had been close to releasing it, but Kara made her see the truth with overwhelming clarity.

Kara. Kara.

Kara still had not called…

"And with all the heat the company has taken, Mrs. Luthor, I think—"

 _Damn it._ _Stay on track, Lena._

"Mr. Evans, the harm outweighs the good in this case, and as I said before, I want to change the direction of the company."

His voice sounded like grinding sandpaper. A sharp throbbing ache spread across her temples and she wanted to close her eyes and rub her knuckles against her forehead but she remained still. Her mother's constant harassment about the importance of control had latched into her long ago. Her mother had been unrelenting, quick to snap at Lena for any display of emotion. Lillian Luthor was like Rudy, her neighbor's Chihuahua—he also constantly nipped at her ankles.

The headache grew worse and if she heard one more patronizing remark, the authorities would not have to worry about another Luthor going mad. It would be a done deal. She wondered absently if little men in white coats would take her away, or if officers of the law would escort her to prison. No, a Super would. After all, she was the only free Luthor. The world would expect her to outdo the rest of her family in the next horrific crime.

She found herself daydreaming about huge explosions inside L-Corp's board room.

No. She'd be thrown in a jail cell without a second glance. And with Lena's luck, her mother would be in the same cell. _God._ She wondered how long it would be before Lillian would criticize Lena's prison garb.

A throat cleared.

Evans stared at her expectedly. She needed to get a grip. She had missed the last five minutes of his inane chatter. Being that he brought the same suggestions every week, it was no great feat to come up with an acceptable response.

She plastered a fake smile that would have fooled no one except the silver flecked stubborn bigots sitting across from her. She nodded to her left, trying unsuccessfully to stifle the irritation bubbling up at the bottom of her rib cage. "Jenkins, as I have said, I will not be following the direction my brother had taken. L-Corp will not—"

Jenkins snorted like a pig. Lena inwardly rolled her eyes.

 _Unbelievable_.

As if he had not interrupted her mid-sentence, Jenkins continued. "Ms. Luthor, you have to see it from the perspective of the shareholders. They are very concerned." He momentarily glanced to his left at Bill Irvins, who also supported Jenkin's proposal. "With this contract, we could double the profit margin next year."

"Mr. Jenkins, while I appreciate your concern, I have already made my decision," she said, leaning forward. "My brother nearly brought my father's company to ruin with his obsession with Superman and advanced weaponry. And this device is just another example of xenophobia. L-Corp's image must not be associated with his anti-alien views and ideals. It would be unwise to—."

"Ms. Luthor, with all due respect, your brother's crimes are what drove this company to near ruin, not the military contracts," Jenkins said as if he were talking to a child. "If you look at next year's forecast, you will agree with our assessment."

"I have read through your reports, Mr. Jenkins." Lena set her jaw, staring him directly in the eye. Her voice lowered into a dangerous tone that could cut glass. "But, my decision still stands. My brother and I had also researched medical advancements that could be applicable in hospitals and clinics. I have concluded that the revenue generated by those types of products would exceed your military contracts."

Jenkins' eyes narrowed, and Lena prepared herself for another contemptuous upturn of his lips, but he remained inscrutable.

She pushed away from the cherry wood table. "If that is all, gentlemen, I think we can call this meeting adjourned."

Chairs scraped against the polished floor—it did nothing for the pressure below her hairline—and then her colleagues shuffled out the door.

 _Click. Click. Click._

Her heels tapped against the ground, echoing along the hallway. What a waste of time. She had a mountain of paperwork waiting for her return, and she could have examined and approved a majority of the new sprints that afternoon. Instead, she had wasted precious hours because Evans would not take no for an answer.

She reached the elevator which was vacant and went up a floor, still fuming to herself.

"Ms. Luthor," Jess began, bringing her out of her musings. "Mr. Adams had requested a meeting with you earlier."

Lena let out a disdainful chuckle, "I see." She paused before reaching her office. "Put him on the calendar for tomorrow. Or better yet, as far out as we can."

The edges of Jess' mouth curved upwards. "How did the meeting go?"

Lena sighed. "The same. It was a complete waste of—" Lena glanced at her watch."Three hours. How is it already eight forty-three?"

Jess inclined a well-sculpted brow. "Maybe it was the stimulating conversation?"

Lena groaned. "Or a lack thereof." She looked towards her office and back to Jess. "You know, it's late. You should have hours ago."

"Well, you know what they say...no rest for the wicked—"

"Jess…" Lena smiled, a real smile. "There's no need for both of us to suffer through another long night."

Jess grinned, making the world seem brighter.

And Lena needed that. The relief that Jess represented. Surrounded by peers who valued appearance, expectations and the pretense of being important above human decency, Jess was a breath of fresh air. Her assistant had been loyal, refusing to abandon her when Lex had caused a media shitstorm of epic proportions—and Jess could have. Her qualifications could have landed her any position.

But, she dropped everything in Metropolis and followed Lena to National City.

"I will. Just needed to put the final touches in."

"Okay, well don't stay too long," Lena said, shaking her head at the irony of her statement. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night, Ms. Luthor."

Once inside her office, the tension in her shoulders dissolved and she was able to breathe again. She stood and stretched and then shuffled towards the high back chair behind her desk. Sagging in her chair, she yawned. The events of the day caught up with her, and her lids, heavy with fatigue, began to close. Her body seemed to liquefy into the seat of her chair. She hadn't realized she was that tired. But, she hadn't slept more than four hours a night for the last several days. She rubbed her eyes as she fought to stay focused.

Her lids drooped, and her head shot up.

Her phone buzzed on the desk. Was it Kara?

It wasn't Kara.

The phone buzzed again and Lena growled.

Her mother's lawyers were relentless, she'd give them that. But, she ignored the calls all the same.

She glanced out the window. A jagged bolt of lightning cut across the night sky.


	4. Chapter 4

Trapped. Kara was trapped inside a cell. Again. But this time, she was not alone. It did not make her situation any better.

Night had fallen, and she stood by the entrance of her small prison, her shoulders slumped forward. She was so tired. Her feet throbbed. Her eyes stung from the exhaustion. Her stomach growled.

On Earth, she had been able to cover an entire continent at the blink of an eye. Here, on Slaver's moon, a mere walk to the fortress where Izzy Williams was being held captive left Kara's heels stinging. To be fair, she had walked for miles.

Inside her cell, the atmosphere was somber. She glanced around, accessing the faces and body language of those around her. They all seemed hollow-eyed and filled with a dull panic that simmered into defeat.

She glanced at a woman in the back and drew her fingers into tight fists. Izzy Williams. She took in the haunted look in Izzy's eyes, the pale sallow skin, the gaunt cheeks and the aquamarine colored jacket hanging limply around a thin frame. Their 'hosts' had not seen fit to feed their captives.

She saw two women holding each other, rocking in an effort of comfort. These people were far away from their homes, and hope had all but left their expression.

And they expected Kara to save them.

Kara, who could not even save herself.

Like a caged animal, she stood by the entrance, pacing back and forth. This wasn't supposed to have happened. She was supposed to save these people. She was supposed to bring the slavers to justice.

She shouldn't be another victim, powerless to free herself. She shouldn't be bickering with Mon-El and feeling sweat drip down her brow. She had sweat so much since her arrival that she would not be surprised if she lost a couple of pounds. Sweat never touched her skin—well other than the time she blew out her powers after fighting Red Tornado and being held captive by Lillian Luthor! She hated it. She felt sticky.

Mon-El had spent the last hour blaming her for their predicament and his criticisms had dug under her skin. She could understand his anxiety over their current situation, but she could do without the never-ending complaints.

"All, I'm saying," Mon-El began, after five minutes of silence. "If you go looking for trouble, you'll find it." His jaw clenched, the muscles in his face contorting into a half scowl. "And you do. You _always_ find it. You never stop, you run head first into danger."

She felt something fierce burn through the back of her lids, and if she had her heat vision, she knew the back wall of their prison would burst open. At least, they'd escape. Unfortunately, she was under the red sun. As much as she yearned for the red sky, only the yellow sun could grant her powers.

"But, that's what heroes do," she said, her voice earnest. "They fight." She rolled her eyes. "They don't stop whenever it's inconvenient for them. They don't just hide in a bar."

He had never understood the message. The meaning of what it meant to be a hero. The importance of putting others before yourself. The importance of sacrifice. He did not understand the warmth of seeing a little boy's smile because you saved their favorite puppy from a runaway truck. He never saw the tears of a mother when you placed her missing child into her arms. No, Mon-El did not understand. She wondered if he ever would.

She swallowed down those thoughts. There was still hope for him. He could change. She believed in him. It would just take time. But right now, time was not something they had in abundance.

She would save these people even if her powers had deserted her. Her powers did not define her. She would not fail them.

"I'm not hiding." He looked out towards the hallway. "I'm just being smart. It's a dangerous universe." His condescending tone raised the hackles on Kara's neck. "And why do you need to be the one to save everyone all the time?"

Her eyes widened. _Is he serious_? "Because I witnessed my world explode. And I was helpless to do anything…I could only watch as those I loved…" She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before turning her head towards Izzy. "And when I came to Earth, I was given the ability to do something. To help others. To save others." She drew her eyes back towards Mon-El. "I have to believe we were spared the fate of our planets for a reason."

"Kara," he slightly rubbed his nose and chuckled. "Your parents wanted to save you so they did. They knew what the Earth's yellow sun would give you. You said your father was the head of the Science guild so he knew. Stop making yourself out to be some sort of savior because you're not. You just got lucky."

Kara's eyes widened. Her chest tightened. It ached, she felt the air leave her lungs. She remembered the deep crevasses sprouting lava. She remembered how they etched across her planet. Krypton. It burned. It burned. She heard the screams of her people as their world ignited around them. Her people. Dead. She heard the screams echo in her ears. And she could do nothing. She could only watch.

She shook her head, blinking the images out of her mind. Once she had control of herself, she scowled at Mon-El.

"Lucky? I refuse to believe that." She spat, struggling to keep her voice steady. "And it doesn't matter. I won't leave them. I won't."

"Of course you won't." Mon-El grumbled. "Do what you want. You always do."

 _Rao! Could he be any more selfish?_

Minutes passed, turning into hours. Least it felt like hours. People trudged around the tiny room staring at nothing. Mon-El had not uttered another word. She could see the other captives shivering, whether by fear or the actual cold. They seemed to have given up the will to fight long ago, but every once in awhile an urgent whisper reached her ears, breaking the heavy silence that had blanketed the room.

###

 _Roulette_! Kara should have known! Of course, that horrible excuse of a human being would be on Slaver's moon. Bad enough that aliens had suffered—being forced into fighting pits to entertain the elite. It should not be a surprise to Kara that Roulette would exploit her own species in order to earn a profit!

"So you would sell out your own people? As if…like you are selling…coffee?" Kara scrunched her brows and tilted her head to the side. "You are selling people! How could you?"

With a loud yawn, Roulette said, "Easy. They gave me an offer I couldn't resist."

Roulette gazed at the bands around her arms, a smirk lifting the right corner of her upper lip. "Blood diamonds, actually. This planet is…loaded with them. It's like dirt to these Maldorians." A rough voice came from down the hall, and she glanced over her shoulder before looking back at Kara. She smiled. A fake smile. "Good news everyone! You've all been sold."

Two aliens with scale-like features followed a man with a white lab coat. He must be their leader and was the same man that had attacked Kara on Earth. The same man who had morphed into a Maldorian as soon as they had entered a room with a pulsing azure light. She remembered the light and the flight through it. She couldn't let him get away. Couldn't let him—

The aliens grunted in their guttural tongue, breaking Kara from her recollections. They began walking towards the cell, and then soon the energy barrier that had trapped them lifted.

The sounds of muffled gasps reverberated around the small room. The others stood motionless, their faces expressionless in denial. Kara stared straight ahead. She would be their shield, but inwardly, she knew that was not the reason she did not turn back towards the others. She couldn't stomach the fear and the pain that would reside in their eyes. She had failed. How would she get them out? Mon-El was right. What could they do without their powers?

"Move." The leader said, his voice almost warm.

Kara's glared at him, lips pressed tight. She stretched both of her arms outward, a weak attempt at barring the intruders. But, she didn't care. Her words were slow and dangerous. "I…will…not."

"Suit yourself," he said.

He jerked his chin towards his guards and back towards Kara.

It wasn't even a second later that one of the guards sprung forward and something pounded into her abdomen, and an electrical current coursed through her. A scream pierced the room, her scream. She jerked away violently, but then another shock had her grunting, body curled in on itself.

"That's enough!" Mon-El surged forward, barreling into the guard that held the device, but the other reptilian creature shoved him back and he crashed to the ground. He lay on the floor, watching helplessly.

The mad scientist…man had a smug smirk on his face. Her ears were ringing and her body felt torn from within. But, she could move. She wouldn't surrender to these monsters.

Her nostrils flared, and her muscles strained with the effort of bringing herself up from her knees. Something uncoiled in her heart. Rage. Pure rage unfurled within her and her short fingernails dug into her palms. She bared her teeth in a snarl as adrenaline rushed through her veins.

"You won't have them."

His face held no expression. After all, she was nothing to him. "Hit her again."

White light burned behind her eyes when the stun baton went off at her left and right biceps. The muscles of her neck and arms contracted as they held the baton against her body. Electricity bled through her body, blue lightning and so sharp against her muscles.

There were no powers to muffle the pain, no yellow sun to heal the burns. Kara could not ever remember feeling what was ripping through her body now.

A gasp of relief fell from her lips when the sizzling noise stopped and the jolts ended. She tried to raise up from her knees to stand again, but they were heavy and refused to cooperate.

"Well?" the doctor asked, grinning widely.

She felt her lips spill out a soft "no," but her throat was raw from the baton and she wondered if anyone even heard her words.

"Stubborn to the end, aren't you?" The doctor asked, shaking his head in an almost sad manner. "Well, that just won't do. You will move, Supergirl. We have a tight schedule, after all."

There was a moment of silence and then another crackle split through the air. She screamed as yet another wave of electricity jolted through her body. It smoldered. It burned so badly she couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Her eyes squeezed shut of their own accord as her muscles spasmed and no matter how hard she tried to open them, she remained in darkness. Her head collided with the ground. Hard. The last image she remembered was that mad doctor's pleasant smile.

 _There are monsters in the world_ , little one, her aunt's voice whispered in the air. _They are men just like us._

Kara woke to a rustling noise and then footsteps, followed by a thud. She tried to lift her head, but she couldn't. A gray haze seemed to cloud her vision. Her tongue hurt. She must of bit it. And ice seeped into the side of her face. She blinked and saw the light green cement, pressing up cold against her cheek and temple. At least she thought it was cement.

"Supergirl," someone whispered softly. She tried to clear her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

A hand ran through her hair. A face came into view; Mon-El. She could make out the stubble on his chin and the dark hair drenched with sweat.

Her mind cleared enough for her heart to hammer in her chest. They were still at slaver's moon. And okay? She definitely was not okay. Every limb in her body still slightly shook, and her fingertips tingled with a slight tremor.

Their captors had been thrown in their cell, Roulette among them. Kara couldn't find it in her to care.

"Can you stand?"

"I—I don't know…"

She rolled on her front, fighting the urge to cry out from burns on her skin and the way her skin scraped along the floor.

Gripping Mon-El's wrist, she pulled herself up on shaky legs. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and right now, she was grateful for his support.

"Let's get out of here," he said.

They did.

The group grabbed the guns dropped by the guards and rounded the corner of the hall. It was silent. Too silent. Even in her muddled state of mind, Kara knew something was off.

Kara ambled forward, barely keeping up with Mon-El's pace. Her head swam and she stilled for a moment, not wanting to provoke another dizzy spell. Mon-El yanked her to him, and the floor tilted. Her stomach churned.

"Shit, I'm sorry…" he said, but his grip remained tight around her. "We have to keep going. We can't let them catch us again."

Kara grit her teeth. He was right. She was holding them back. "Go. Just go, Mon-El. Lead them to safety."

He stiffened. "You can't be serious. What am I thinking? Of course, you are? The martyr to the end!"

She didn't have it in her to fight. She pulled away, but he did not budge one inch. "Mon-El, I'm holding you back. Save them…then you can come for me."

"Damned Kryptonians! You are all the same. Always on some crusade." He sighed and then began to lift her.

"Mon-El! What! Stop!" She gasped out the words. It felt like daggers had cut into her brain. Bile rose in her throat.

"We are leaving. Now." He growled.

Sudden gunshots and smoke filled the air, followed by the clang of laser fire and grenades. That along with the pounding in her head made it hard to focus. But she had to.

"What's going—"

Mon-El released her, and she leaned heavily against the wall as the sounds of combat resounded from the next room—the one that led to the exit.

"Oh, God," someone beside her whispered.

Mon-El and another member of the group padded forward, their steps soft against the floor. Kara jerked as another blast vibrated along the walls.

"C'mon. Now!" Mon-El shouted.

He reached behind her armpits and half carried her along towards the gunfire. She was too addled to stare at him dumbfounded.

Another set of arms took her. Soft arms. Alex's scent surrounded her. It soothed her and she inhaled a deep breath.

Alex…was here.

Her eyes widened.

"Alex! You're here!" A shudder ran down her spine. "Oh, no. Alex, it's too dangerous!"

Alex smiled. A warm smile edged with fear. The type of fear that eats at you. But, Alex never acted afraid. It was unsettling. "Of course I am."

"Are you…are you okay?"

"Yes," Alex nodded. She cocked an eyebrow. "And I got a new gun. But, you shouldn't worry about me! It's you I am worried about."

"Tired…" Kara murmured, her lids heavy.

"Just hold on. You'll sleep soon, I promise."

Kara's forced her unsteady legs to trudge alongside Alex, turning her eyes away from the bodies littering the corridor. They weren't humans.

###

"Supergirl!"

Kara watched as one of the Lizardmen dragged Izzy back, pulling her with him. She was powerless. A God brought down to a crumbling mess. She reached for Izzy, started to move a step forward, but Mon-El's grip on her upper arm prevented her from going any further. "Stop, Supergirl. Think! You'll get hurt or worse!"

"No," she spat, wrenching her arm away. "I can't let them take her."

"You did all you could."

She sighed, pretending to surrender. He lessened his grip and she twisted away from his hold.

Lizardman would not have Izzy. Kara promised her mother.

She ran forward.

"Supergirl!"

It happened in a split instance. She couldn't even tell when it did. One minute she had been running away from Mon-El, and the next moment the sun literally ignited around her.

Her muscles burned with energy, crackling with power. Golden light surged within, flowing through her veins, pumping her blood. She opened her eyes, and the world flashed in brilliant colors. Her wounds ebbed.

The ground beneath her could not hold her. She hovered above Izzy's captor, and the stars erupted inside her eyes in righteous fury.

This creature would enslave another?

She smirked. What could this slaver do against the sky? He rumbled something in his alien tongue and pointed his weapon at her. Blue light bounced harmlessly off her chest.

And then the sky fell down upon him.


End file.
